


"Hello Stranger"

by Peanut739



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Coming Out, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-25
Updated: 2017-02-25
Packaged: 2018-09-26 20:25:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 21,257
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9920924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Peanut739/pseuds/Peanut739
Summary: Malec High School AUMagnus is a new student at Idris High. Alec is  like a silent shadow, always lurking around but never noticed. Their stories intertwine and emotions start to blossom. There are secrets to be revealed and memories to be made.





	1. Strangers

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, they belong to Cassandra Clare.
> 
> This is a story I've posted on another platform originally. As it stands, I'm not completely happy with the last few chapters, but I guess it's still worth reading and it is actually finished (who doesn't hate half-finished fics?!)  
> Anyways; if I get around to it, I might edit the last few chapters in the future, but for now, enjoy :)

It was 6 AM when Alec’s alarm went off. He turned over, trying to hit his phone to silence the obnoxiously loud sound. He just wasn’t used to getting up this early anymore. The summer had been long and pretty eventless for him and now it was time to return to school. 

Alec loathed the thought of going back there. He was one of those kids who’d always sit in the back of the classroom, hoping that no one would even notice they were there. And that mostly seemed to work for him. Alec didn’t have many friends aside from his siblings, but he didn’t really care. He preferred sticking to himself and getting through his classes with good grades.

The first thing Alec did when he finally got up was take a cold shower, hoping it would help waking him up. His private time was cut short however when his sister Isabelle yelled from outside the bathroom. “Hurry up in there, I need to get my makeup done!” “I’ll be out in a minute,” Alec growled, stepping out of the shower. He dried himself up and got dressed quickly. As soon as he opened the door, his sister was scooting in the room and practically shoving him out. “Love you too Iz,” Alec said sarcastically. “I know you do,” Isabelle replied joyfully.

When Alec made his way downstairs, his adoptive brother Jace was sitting at the kitchen table, having breakfast. “Are Mom and Dad out already?” Alec questioned. “Yea, they left about half an hour ago.” Of course they were. They were always out early. Both of them were working for a police department and their shifts usually started in the morning. More often than not, they’d also come home very late. They didn’t spend much time with their kids, but the siblings got used to it, taking care of and looking out for each other.

Alec sat down next to his brother who was stuffing his mouth with bacon and eggs. “Did you actually make breakfast?” Alec inquired. Jace looked at him with a questioning look. “I could’ve let Izzy make breakfast you know?” Alec’s eyes widened at the thought of the last meal his younger sister had…concocted. “Yeah…no thanks.” He quickly emptied his plate and went to grab his bag with all the essentials for his first day back at school. When he returned downstairs, Jace and Isabelle were waiting for him by the door. “Hurry up. You’re driving, don’t wanna be late on our first day.” Izzy seemed to be way too excited for her own good. Probably because she, along with Jace, was one of the more popular kids at school. Alec liked to keep to himself and fade into the background. He didn’t like attention, he didn’t need it. It made him uncomfortable.

The car ride was short. When they arrived at school, Izzy and Jace took off immediately. “See you for lunch.” Jace raised a dismissive hand while walking inside the building. Alec stood by the car for a second. He leant against it and sighed. You can do this, he thought to himself. “You’ve managed so far, you can handle another year.” He closed his eyes for a second, pushed himself off the car and made his way to his homeroom.

Alec arrived a little early. He usually did so to secure his place in the back of the room where no one would notice him. When he entered the room, Alec was greeted by a short, red-headed woman. “Good morning!” She smiled brightly at Alec. Mrs. Fairchild was new at the school and Alec’s new homeroom teacher. “Morning,” Alec replied, making his way to the table in the back corner of the room. “Are you always this early?” Mrs. Fairchild inquired, still smiling. Alec simply shrugged, hoping to avoid any more conversation with her. The last thing he needed was to be labeled as the new teacher’s pet. But she wouldn’t let up. “What’s your name? I need to start memorizing all the new names, right away.” Alec sighed. Looks like he wouldn’t be getting out of this situation any time soon. “I’m Alec. Alec Lightwood.” Mrs. Fairchild suddenly looked at him with a mixture of shock and excitement. “Wait, are you by any chance a son of Maryse and Robert?” Here we go, this can’t be good, Alec thought to himself. “Yeah…why?” Mrs. Fairchild seemed to be getting even more excited. “I went to school with your parents! I didn’t know they were still living here!” She almost exclaimed. Great, Alec thought to himself. Just what I needed. Their conversation was cut short when more students started to arrive in the room, filling the empty seats. 

When the bell rang, Mrs. Fairchild started going through the attendance list. When she had finished with that, she looked up at the class, still wearing her bright smile. “I was told that a new student, who transferred here, would be joining our class today, but it doesn’t seem like he’s here yet. So let’s just start wi-“ She was interrupted by a rhythmic knock at the door. Every student turned their heads towards the door, some started whispering to each other, others chuckled. Only Alec was leaning on his desk, his head resting on his arm, looking bored.

When Mrs. Fairchild opened the door, a young man with spiked up black hair entered the room. “Sorry I’m late! I couldn’t find the room – also, I like making an entrance,” he grinned at Mrs. Fairchild. And quite an entrance this was. The boy was wearing bright, green skinny jeans, a white shirt with the letters MB written on it in glittery cursive, and an orange jacket over it. Half the classes jaw’s, including Alec’s, dropped open at the sight. Even the high-fashion popular girls in the first row seemed to feel basic in comparison. 

Mrs. Fairchild finally broke the lingering silence in the room. “That’s alright. You’re Magnus, I take it?” “The one and only,” the boy replied. “Well you’re just in time for all the important information, so why don’t you take a seat? There’s one left in the back row, next to Alec.” Alec looked around the classroom, only now realizing that all other seats had been taken. He wasn’t surprised; he actually hoped to be able to keep to himself, even in the classroom. 

Magnus turned towards where Mrs. Fairchild was pointing, walking over and smiling at Alec.


	2. Start

When Magnus sat down next to Alec, he was smiling politely at him. Alec only furrowed his brows at the sight of this rather unique boy. He seemed to be wearing some sort of makeup around his eyes, his fingernails were painted orange to match his jacket. But aside from all the glitter and fashion, the boy had very unique eyes. They were green and Alec could’ve sworn that there were some gold specks in them, making them shine brightly.

“Is there something on my face?” Magnus suddenly asked playfully. Crap. Alec realized that he must’ve been staring. “Wha..? Uhm, no I was just…never mind. Sorry.” Alec quickly turned to the front of the room again. He felt his cheeks blushing. Way to make an impression Lightwood, he silently cursed himself. The last thing he needed was the new kid making fun of him. He was already on the bottom of the food chain. Right in the “Invisible” category.

Alec tried to pay attention to what Mrs. Fairchild was saying for the rest of the lesson, but every now and then, he saw something shine in the corner of his vision. Was it the golden specks in the other boys eyes? Or maybe the glittery makeup? He tried as hard as he could to not stare again. He didn’t want to seem like a creeper, but those eyes seemed to be haunting him already. He thanked all the angels when the bell finally rang again, announcing the end of the lesson. Alec packed his things quickly, trying to get away from Magnus to avoid any awkward conversation about him staring. But just as he was about to leave the room, Mrs. Fairchild interrupted him. 

“Excuse me, Alec?” He turned around slowly. Magnus was standing beside her, both of them were looking at him. “I saw that you and Magnus have most of your lessons together. Why don’t you show him around a little bit so he doesn’t get lost anymore?” Both Mrs. Fairchild and Magnus were smiling at him expectantly. Right when Alec thought this couldn’t get any more awkward, he felt himself blushing again. Why now? He damned his pale skin. “Uhm…sure. Let’s go.” Alec turned around quickly, leaving the room. Magnus thanked Mrs. Fairchild politely and followed Alec.

“So, where do you have to be next?” Alec asked, hoping to just forget about the staring incident from before. “Science with Mr. Garroway,” Magnus replied. Alec sighed. Of course. What did I expect? “Same,” Alec said, walking towards the respective room. Magnus followed him closely. “So…Alec, hm? Is that short for something?” Why does he have to make smalltalk? “Yes.” Alec grumbled. “Care to elaborate?” Magnus didn’t seem to be fazed by Alec’s obvious annoyance. This was going to be a long day, Alec could tell. “Listen Magnus, if you want to survive here, you have two options. Fade into the background and pray that no one notices you or stick with more popular kids. And looking at you, you don’t seem to be one to fade into the background, so do yourself a favor and start looking for more popular options than me.” Alec was actually impressed with himself. He didn’t know he had it in him to speak more than one coherent sentence to a complete stranger. He hoped this would set Magnus straight.

To Alec’s surprise, Magnus was not bothered by his comment at all. He simply kept on walking beside him. “You don’t seem to think much of yourself, do you?” Magnus chuckled. Alec was shocked. He stopped in the middle of the hallway and looked at Magnus. What’s the deal with this kid? Alec thought to himself. Magnus simply turned to face Alec again with a smile on his face. “I know how high school works, I’m not that stupid Alec. But if I wanted your opinion on how to survive in here, I would’ve asked for it. Now, if you don’t want to tell me your name that’s fine. But could you at least help me get to my next lessons? I actually won’t be able to find them on my own.”

Shock was not a good enough word to describe what Alec was feeling right now. Did he really just say that? Magnus was still smiling brightly and it started to creep Alec out. He wanted to talk back to Magnus but he couldn’t find the words to do so. “I…what?!…didn’t you listen? I…” There it was again. No coherent sentence. Good job Alec! You’re doing great! Magnus sighed as he grabbed Alec’s shoulder and practically forced him to walk again. “Less talking, more walking darling.” What did he just call me? Alec wanted to protest but he couldn’t. Something compelled him not to. They arrived just in time for the next lesson.

Alec immediately headed for the backrow again. Maybe Magnus wouldn’t follow him this time. Maybe he realized that he needed to befriend someone else than Alec. But this hope, if you could call it that, was immediately shattered, when Magnus followed Alec closely and sat down right next to him again.

“You realize that this is not going to end well for you, right?” Alec managed to utter another complete sentence. “Though I think it is heartwarming that you obviously care so much about my wellbeing, I think you need to stop being so concerned for others. Seriously, think of yourself once in a while.” Magnus replied, easily shrugging of Alec’s comment. What is it with this guy? Alec was more than confused, but he decided it would be best to not start an argument here. He’ll realize that this isn’t working for him. Alec thought to himself, turning his attention to the front of the room.

But something inside of Alec resonated with the last comment Magnus made. “Stop being so concerned for others. Think of yourself once in a while.” Somehow, these words made Alec emotional. He was thinking of fond memories he usually locked away. He couldn’t help but smile a little, though there was sadness coming along with those memories. A strange mixture of emotions filled him, triggered by two simple sentences by Magnus. Alec stared at his desk, dwelling in those thoughts. He still felt alone, but he was used to that. However, it was rare that emotions filled the void he was surrounding himself with.

Magnus saw the change in Alec. He didn’t know what caused it but somehow the boy beside him was radiating. The blue eyes of his were illuminated and Magnus couldn’t point out what exactly he was thinking or feeling in this very moment. But he didn’t dare to disrupt the seemingly blissful state Alec found himself in. Magnus figured that Alec didn’t feel this way very often. However, he took a mental image of this sight with him, a picture of this radiating, yet sad young man. It was like a work of art, really.

The bell rung, ending the lesson. Magnus and I started packing our stuff and left the room. “So Alec, where are we headed to next?” Magnus asked. “Alexander.” Magnus looked at Alec, who wasn’t facing him, with a questioning look. “Excuse me?” Magnus asked puzzled. “My name…you asked what my full name was. It’s Alexander.” Alec turned around, facing Magnus but not looking him in the eyes. He was blushing, barely, one might add, and smiling ever so slightly.

“Well then Alexander,” Magnus replied joyous, “let’s get going.”


	3. Signs

Throughout their next lessons, Alec started to become more relaxed around Magnus. He still wasn’t making any effort to talk to other people if he didn’t need to. Finally lunch break came around. 

“Mrs. Fairchild told me to pick some books up during break. I’ll see you later?” Magnus grinned at Alec. “I guess so,” Alec replied as he turned away, making his way to the cafeteria. Magnus watched him until he passed around a corner. He was still thinking of the strange image of a certain lost, sad, yet glowing boy.

When Alec entered the cafeteria, he immediately searched for his siblings. He had met one new person today already, he wasn’t about to sit with complete strangers now. When he finally found what he was looking for, Alec flunked down beside his sister and sighed. “Rough day?” Jace asked playfully. “You could say that,” Alec replied, throwing his head back and rubbing his temples. “You’ve been here for what, 3 hours? It can’t be that bad.” Alec sighed again. It was a bad habit of his. Whenever he was uncomfortable, he sighed a lot. “There’s this new kid. His name is Magnus. Mrs. Fairchild told me to show him around and he’s been clinging onto me since my first lesson.” His sister was looking at him with a fake-frown. “Aww, come on Alec! Give the poor kid a chance, he probably doesn’t know anyone here and just wants to make a friend!” Alec could tell there was a slight sarcastic undertone but he didn’t want to bother with it anymore.

Without realizing it, Alec’s mind flew off to what Magnus said earlier that day. “Think of yourself once in a while.” Alec didn’t understand why these words stuck with him so annoyingly. As much as he tried to, he couldn’t shake them off. 

His thoughts were interrupted by Jace mocking him. “Earth to Alec. Are you in there? Are you thinking about your new friend?” He dragged the last word more than he needed to. When Alec focused again he saw Magnus standing in the doorway, scanning the room for something. Or was it someone? Crap. Please don’t notice me. Right after Alec thought that, Magnus’ gaze was locked with his own. He grinned at Alec and made his way over to where he was seated. What did I do to deserve this? Alec thought.

“Speak of the devil…” he began as Magnus closed the distance between them. “There you are Alexander. I thought I wouldn’t find you again.” Alec flinched at Magnus’ words. He wasn’t trying to avoid him per se. He just needed some alone time if you will. “I take it you’re Magnus?” Izzy asked in a friendly manner. “Correct. And I take it Alec has been talking about me?” Alec buried his face in his sleeves on the table, blushing, while Izzy giggled and Jace patted him on the shoulder. “I’m Isabelle, this is Jace. We’re his siblings.” “Pleasure to meet you. Quick question while you’re here; is your dear brother always this…distant?” Magnus asked with a real interest. “You could say that,” Jace snorted. “Just give him some time and he’ll warm up.” Alec buried his face deeper. “Someone end me right now, please.” His words were muffled by the fabric of his sweater. “Now, now, that would be a horrible waste of such pretty blue eyes!” Magnus protested humorously. Alec looked up at Magnus, practically glaring at him. But his lips were twitching upwards as if they were to erupt into a smile or laugh at any moment. His cheeks, though only slightly, turned even more red.

And that was when Izzy’s gaze turned from her brother to Magnus, who was laughing at his own comment and now talking to Jace. Something clicked. Something suddenly made sense. A realization overcame her and her eyes widened. She hunched over so she could whisper to Alec without anyone else hearing. “When we get home, we need to have a talk Alec.” She was looking at Alec with concern and care, he simply returned a confused look and nodded.

The bell rung, announcing the end of the break. Jace stood up, stretching his arms above his head. “Gotta go. Places to be, people to meet. I’ll see you around Magnus.” He waved goodbye as he exited the cafeteria. Izzy followed shortly after him. “I’ll see you later Alec. Magnus.” She smiled politely and turned away.

“And then there were two,” Magnus said, staring at Alec again. “Your siblings seem to be nice. Are you close?” He continued. Alec sighed. “Yeah, my parents are out for work most of the time so we look out for each other.” He was smiling and Magnus could tell the two really meant much to Alec. He couldn’t help but feel a little jealous. “Do you have any siblings?” Alec asked as they started to make their way to their next lesson. “Your brother was right, you are starting to warm up! Who knew you had it in you to make smalltalk?” Magnus laughed out, Alec was slightly irritated at the thought of him actually talking more than he needed to to Magnus. It just had slipped out. “Don’t make me regret it,” Alec replied with a certain harshness in his tone. 

Magnus realized that Alec meant what he said. He had just come out of his shell a little and Magnus wasn’t about to screw it up and shove him right back in there. 

“No, I’m an only child. I’m living alone with my mom.” “What about your father?” Alec questioned without really thinking about his words. For the first time since they’d met, the golden glimmer in Magnus’ eyes seemed to fade. He was still smiling but his smile somehow didn’t convey any happiness in this moment. It was gone with the shine in his eyes. And Alec realized, just like there was more to his past than he liked to admit, there was more to Magnus’ as well.

“That’s no topic for smalltalk, another time maybe.” Magnus grabbed Alec’s arm, urging him to walk faster. “Come on, hurry up or we’re going to be late!” 

As they were making their way down the hall, Alec realized that Magnus wasn’t just this caricature of an overly happy teenager who would never feel sad. He realized that there was something underneath all that. Maybe Alec could make a new friend here.

Maybe, just maybe, this wasn’t going to be so bad after all.


	4. Confession

The rest of the day went by pretty quickly. Alec didn’t mind his companion as much anymore, though he still wasn’t sure what exactly to make of this entire situation. People never just talked to him or spent time with him if they didn’t need to, except his siblings. 

“See you tomorrow,” Magnus exclaimed and waved at Alec as he made his way out of the school. Somehow, Alec wasn’t feeling as relieved as he thought he would when Magnus finally left. Oh well, he’d see him again soon enough. Shrugging off his thoughts, Alec made his way to the parking lot where his siblings were already waiting for him.

“Took you long enough. Had to walk your new friend out?” Jace grinned at him. Alec and Izzy rolled their eyes at his comment. “Just get in the car, I wanna get out of here,” Izzy said annoyed. Alec was glad his sister took his side for once, instead of teasing him as well. It was enough if Jace got on his nerves about Magnus. Though it seemed odd that Izzy would let such an opportunity slip; maybe she had a rough day as well.

When they arrived back at their house, Jace got inside, grabbed a snack and immediately went on to leave again. “I’m going over to a friend’s house. If mom and dad come home, just tell them I’m studying or something. See ya!” And just like that, he was out of the door. Alec wanted to protest, asking where he was going. Not out of real interest, but because he wanted to make sure, he knew where to ask if something happened to his brother on the way or if he didn’t make it home again. 

“Alec?” Izzy was suddenly standing behind him. She was wearing the same concerned look she had earlier in the cafeteria. “Can we talk?” Alec furrowed his brows. This wasn’t like his sister. He rarely saw her concerned, now he was starting to worry. “Sure Iz. Did something happen I should know? Are you okay?” His face also started to show concern. His sister simply smiled weakly at him. “This isn’t about me Alec, I’m good.” Alec breathed out in relief. “Okay, then what is it Iz?” Izzy started to shift uncomfortably. Alec was completely lost. What’s going on?

“This is about you Alec,” Izzy said, not being able to look her brother in the eyes. Alec was beginning to wonder why Izzy didn’t just say what she wanted to. What was this really about? “Well then spill it. Talk to me Iz.” She sighed. Bad habits run in the family.

“This new kid, Magnus…he complimented you earlier. You probably didn’t even realize.” Izzy was still not getting to her point and Alec was beginning to worry again. “He was making a bad joke Iz. I fail to see how that has anything to do with me?” He furrowed his brows again. “No Alec. It wasn’t like that. Maybe you didn’t realize because you’re not used to it. He likes you, I think. As in likes you. And that was when I began to think…” Alec was starting to become nervous. Where was she getting to with this? “And I don’t think there is anything wrong with that. You know that, don’t you Alec?” She quickly continued and was now looking at Alec again.

Something was beginning to dawn on him. Alec’s eyes widened as he realized what Izzy was actually talking about. He looked directly into her concerned, stormy eyes. With a low voice, almost a whisper, he asked “What are you saying Izzy?” She sighed again, staring back at him. “Alec, I need you to answer this honestly. Please, okay? For me.” “What are you saying Izzy?” Alec’s voice was still barely a breath, a whisper. But his heart was racing, pounding loudly and infrequently in his chest. He was starting to feel hot. He wasn’t ready for what Izzy would ask him. He never was and he never would be. What she was about to ask, Alec already knew. And he knew the honest answer, he had for years now. But he wasn’t ready. 

As Alec was getting more and more uncomfortable, tears were starting to come to his eyes. He couldn’t let them fall. He couldn’t be weak in front of his sister, he never would be again. For anyone. So when the question finally came, he cursed his body for showing his weakness, his insecurity, his faults.

“Alec…are you gay?” There it was. As soon as Izzy spoke those words, Alec couldn’t hold the tears in anymore. The first one rolled down his face, slowly, glistening on his skin. “I…” He started to answer. He wanted to. Maybe he needed to. Maybe he did need his sister to know. Then another tear rolled down his cheek. He hated himself for showing this side of him. He hated not being able to control his emotions and he hated being weak in front of his sister. “Alec, please. Answer me. It won’t change a thing between us, but I need to know.” His sister’s eyes also started glistening as another tear rolled down Alec’s cheek.

For his answer, Alec had to muster up all the courage he could find within himself. He searched the darkest edges of his consciousness for strength. Izzy meant what she said, he was sure of it. But that didn’t make his next words any more easy on him. It was his burden to bear, not hers. It shouldn’t be. Yet somewhere in him, a small light started burning away the deep darkness that was his secret. In it, he saw his sister, smiling at him, reaching out to him, unfaltering and strong.

“Yes…I am.” As soon as those words left Alec’s lips, he couldn’t hold his tears anymore, they were streaming down his face like river after rainfall. Yet Izzy didn’t turn away in disgust like he had always expected everyone to. She was standing in front of him, beginning to smile. She also couldn’t hold her tears any longer. She grabbed Alec and pulled him into a tight, warm, loving hug. Both siblings were crying into each other’s shoulders. They were trembling. For all Alec knew, they stood like this for almost an hour before they pulled away. Their eyes were red and puffy, yet they were smiling at each other. It was Izzy who broke the silence with a shaky voice.

“Thank you for being honest Alec. You are my brother. You always will be. And I will always love you, no matter what, understand? This doesn’t change a thing and I mean it.” She was smiling brilliantly at Alec. He simply replied with an equally shaky voice “Thank you Iz. For everything.”


	5. Beginnings

Later that afternoon, Alec decided to take a stroll through the park. It always helped to calm him down and Angel knows, he needs to right now. He was neither expecting his sister to ask about his sexuality, nor did he expect to answer her truthfully. But somehow, she made him feel save and that was all he could ask for in that moment. She also promised to keep his secret until he was ready to tell other people. But until then, Alec was glad to have at least one ally.

As Alec made his way down a small path, surrounded by a few trees, grass and a small pond, he reached his favorite “hiding spot” in the park. From a bench near the edge of the park, you could oversee some of the beautiful green area, and, in the evenings, you could watch the sunset which was about to happen. The last sunrays of the day colored the trees and pond in a warm, orange light, as if they were made of gold.

As Alec sat down, he began to ponder what had happened that day. His thoughts were jumping from school, to his family, to the talk he had with Isabelle, to Magnus. The loneliness made Alec feel at ease with his thoughts and he drifted off to what Izzy said earlier that day.

Maybe Magnus does just want to make a friend. Maybe I was too cold to him, I barely know the guy and already acted like a complete douche towards him. And what if Izzy was right? What if he liked me in a…romantic way? Do I like him? I can’t just lead him on…What if Izzy was wrong, maybe he isn’t even interested in men. But could I just be friends with him? Should I just give him a chance?

Right on cue, Alec’s thoughts were pushed aside by a melodic voice calling out to him. “Hello stranger, what brings you here on this beautiful evening?” Magnus was standing near, Alec was so immersed in his mind that he didn’t even realize that someone was coming towards him.

Right then and there, Alec realized that something or someone, call it fate, the universe, god, or whatever you want, was giving him a chance.

Magnus was beginning to shift uncomfortably, looking down at the ground. “Sorry. I shouldn’t just interrupt you when you are obviously having some alone-time.” He really was sorry. He thought that Alec probably didn’t like him much and was just spending time with him that day, because Mrs. Fairchild told Alec to show him around. He should stop bothering people who just want some privacy and silence. “I…uhm, again sorry. I’ll see you in school…” And just like that he put his hands in his pockets and turned to walk away. Why can’t I just take a hint? He obviously doesn’t want anything to do with me. I’m just a burden. Magnus thought to himself as he started walking.

“Wait,” Alec exclaimed, startling Magnus. “You don’t have to go. Come on, sit with me, we can talk for a bit.” Magnus faced Alec again. He was happy but mostly surprised that Alec wanted him to stay. So he sat down beside him and looked into the setting sun.

“Listen Magnus, I gotta apologize. I was kind of an ass today at school and I’m really sorry. I just…I’m not very social normally. But that isn’t your fault, so…sorry.” Magnus turned to look at Alec, who was still facing the sun. The fading light painted them both and Alec’s eyes were shining even more than they usually did. “It’s quite alright. I shouldn’t have been so clingy. So I apologize as well.” “So, we’re good?” Alec looked at Magnus who was now smiling at him again. “Of course.” Alec returned the smile.

“Do you come here often?” Magnus asked. “Yes, actually. Whenever I need some time to think. It’s nice and quiet, usually there’s no one here to disturb you.” Alec took a second to think about what he just said. “Oh I didn’t mean that you were disturbing me, it’s just…uhm, I mean it that way. Sorry.” Alec blushed at his embarrassing statement while Magnus simply chuckled. “It’s okay, I get it. I just came here by accident. I was wandering around, exploring the city and came upon this park. It’s really beautiful. But don’t worry; I won’t come again if you’d rather be alone here.” Alec smiled to himself, blushing slightly. “It’s not that bad actually. As long as you don’t try to make conversations the entire time,” Alec replied. They both chuckled at his comment.

They sat there, silently, for a while. Alec let his thoughts flow again, but every so often, something Izzy said earlier would flash through his mind again. “He likes you, I think.” Did he actually? And did Alec like him?

When the sun had set, enveloping the city in a smooth darkness, it was Magnus who got up and broke the silence. “I should probably get going.” He smiled at Alec. “See you tomorrow.” With this, he turned and started to walk away. “Hey Magnus?” Alec yelled behind him. “I-I uhm…w-was wondering if…” he began to stutter as Magnus faced him once more. Their eyes met. Magnus could see the tension in Alec’s eyes. What is he thinking about? But as quickly as Alec had thought to have found the determination to ask Magnus what he wanted to, it faded again. “Uh…you know what? Forget it. I’ll talk to you tomorrow in school, I should probably get home as well. Just…it’s getting late. See ya.” And with that, he turned away and practically ran home. He couldn’t bring himself to ask. What if Izzy is wrong? I don’t want to embarrass myself in front of him. He could tell other people! No I’ll…I’ll just ask another time. But not today.

Magnus was left, standing alone and unsure of what to make of the situation. He decided it was best not to think about it too much. Eventually, Alec would come and talk to him. He obviously needs time to think about whatever it is he wanted to ask.  
And with that, Magnus headed home as well, letting his thoughts drift off to the possibilities of tomorrow.


	6. Chances

The next days of school went by pretty smoothly. After their talk in the park, Magnus and Alec got along pretty well. Magnus tried to give Alec his space and Alec tried not being so cold all the time. One could say they were developing a friendship.

Alec was a good student and didn’t struggle too much with any subject. He didn’t necessarily enjoy most subjects either but he could manage. Magnus on the other hand had a hard time with anything math-related. “This is so frustrating! At my old school, we didn’t finish the last chapters of our book because my teacher was an incompetent fool. How am I ever going to understand this if I don’t even get the basics?” He shook his head in groaned, clearly frustrated. Alec chuckled at his behavior. “Come on, it’s not even that hard,” he said jokingly. Magnus glared at him, seemingly ready to jump at him, smack him across the face and yell how this wasn’t easy at all. He rally was frustrated with himself.

“Listen, if you need help I could try and catch you up on what you’ve missed.” Alec grinned at Magnus, knowing perfectly well that he didn’t like to admit that he actually needed help with school. However, he finally resigned and sighed. “Fine…I guess I really could use some help. When are you free?” “Oh, uhm…” Alec didn’t actually expect Magnus to accept his offer. He was starting to blush. What are you doing Lightwood? Get yourself together, he wants to study, it isn’t a freaking marriage proposal! “Alec? Are you alright?” Alec was brought back to reality when Magnus was eyeing him with a legitimately concerned look.

“Uh, yeah sorry. I was just…uhm.” Good job Alec, who needs coherent sentences when you can just stutter your way through life. “How…how about Friday? After school?” Alec finally managed to say. “My parents aren’t home this weekend so you could just come over.” Magnus smiled at him, a certain excitement showing in his eyes. “Sounds good,” he simply replied happily. Magnus guessed that Alec would be more comfortable in his own home than elsewhere.

The rest of the week flew by quickly. After their last period on Friday, Magnus went home to get some supplies and eat. Alec gave him his address and told him to drop by whenever he was ready. 

On their car ride home, Jace told his siblings that he wouldn’t be home that evening as he was going on a date. “With who?” Izzy inquired eagerly. “Her name’s Clary,” Jace swooned. “She’s the daughter of that new teacher…Mrs. Fairkid?” “Fairchild,” Alec mumbled from the driver’s seat. “Oh, a teacher’s daughter? Better behave yourself then.” Izzy grinned at Jace, who was giving her a annoyed look.

When they arrived home, Jace immediately took off to his room to change into a “proper” outfit and get ready. Alec was left with Isabelle as they were eating leftovers from yesterday’s dinner. “So, uhm…Magnus is coming over later. We’re going to study together. Just so you know,” Alec said absentmindedly. On that note, Izzy almost spat out a mouthful of food over the kitchen table. “Who is coming over to do what?!” She practically screamed at him. Alec didn’t return her excitement but rather gave her a confused look. “Magnus…to study,” Alec bluntly replied. “Are you having a date?!” She continued her questioning. Alec blushed at her question. “What? I-I…no! We’re just studying. What’re you thinking Izzy?!” He nervously replied, hoping she would drop the topic. But no such luck. “Are you kidding me? I told you he liked you! Do you like him? Come on Alec, you have to tell me!” Alec simply continued to blush and shift uncomfortably in his chair. “Izzy, I told you we’re just studying! We’re just friends. I-I barely know him.” Alec hoped his sister would be content with this answer. But she simply smiled knowingly at him and continued to eat. “I see how it is…I won’t disturb you, don’t worry.” Alec just hoped she meant that, the last thing he needed was his sister scaring off Magnus.

And Izzy did actually keep her promise. Right after they were done eating, she left to her room, telling Alec that she’d just spend the rest of the day watching TV or something so he wouldn’t have to worry about her. Alec knew that this wasn’t some sort of special meeting, just two friends hanging out, but somehow he was more than glad that his sister wouldn’t be around them all the time and he and Magnus would have some time to spend for themselves.

Soon after, Jace took off, leaving Alec waiting anxiously in the living room. Maybe this was a bad idea. Maybe I shouldn’t have invited him over. Alec’s thoughts were interrupted by the doorbell. Okay, deep breaths. No need to worry. You can do this.

As Alec opened the door, he was greeted by a brightly smiling Magnus. “Hey there blue-eyes!” Magnus grinned brilliantly at Alec. “Uhm, hi. Come in.” Closing the door behind him, Magnus let his bag, which he had flung over his shoulder, flop to the ground, letting out a low whistle. “Nice house. It’s really…spacious.” Alec shrugged at this comment. “Thanks, I guess. So, let’s get started.” “Oh right, the math thing. Almost forgot,” Magnus said sheepishly. Alec simply rolled his eyes and lead Magnus to their living room, where he gestured for him to sit down. “Want anything to drink?” “I’m good, thanks,” Magnus simply replied. “Let’s just get started.” He continued, still smiling.

For some reason, Alec’s heart fluttered at the constant smile of Magnus. It made him kind of nervous and almost uncomfortable. Somehow, Alec couldn’t shake the feeling that he would embarrass himself today off.


	7. Regret

“I’m done. I’m so done with math!” Magnus shut his book loudly. He sighed and laid his head on the table in front of him in surrender. “It wasn’t that bad, was it?” Alec chuckled. “Are you kidding me?” Magnus glanced at him with honest disbelief. “Let’s just forget about school stuff. I really can’t take any more. Let’s do something more fun!” Alec was surprised by Magnus’ sudden change in mood but he would be lying if he said he wasn’t fed up with school as well. “Uhm, okay. Sure. What were you thinking of?” Magnus tapped his finger against his chin and furrowed his brows. “We could watch a movie. Sound good?” Alec shrugged and replied “Sure, I’m down.”

They prepared some snacks and sat down on the couch in Alec’s room which had a TV hanging across from it. Alec chose a film called “Coconut Hero”, Jace had gotten him the DVD for his last birthday but he hadn’t watched it yet.

While the movie was running they chatted and joked with each other, they smiled and laughed. They didn’t even realize how late it had gotten, the sun had already set, the flickering TV screen being the only thing illuminating the room when the movie ended. When Magnus took a look out the window he sighed. “I should probably get home, it’s already dark outside,” he said frowning slightly. “Damn shame, I was just starting to have fun,” he continued, grinning at Alec. “Well y-you don’t need to leave…if you don’t want to I mean. My parents aren’t home anyways. You can…I mean if you want to, you could just stay the night here and we could maybe watch another movie or something like that?” Magnus realized that Alec was obviously very nervous, he was also blushing again and fumbling with the hem of his sweater. Magnus simply chuckled at the flustered boy and replied “Why not? I haven’t got anything else planned.” Somehow, Alec was relieved with Magnus’ answer. He actually enjoyed spending time with him. He was easy to be around, he laughed about Alec’s jokes and whenever he did, Alec could feel his heart skipping a beat.

After another movie, more jokes and a quick dinner, Alec pulled his couch across his room so it was facing his bed. He lent Magnus a pair of sweatpants and a black shirt to sleep in. They both lay down and for a moment, there was silence. 

“I’m not actually that tired yet,” Magnus finally said bluntly. “Yeah? Me neither,” Alec replied. “Let’s play a game! How about 20 questions?” Alec chuckled at Magnus’ proposal. “What are we, 12?” He snorted. “Got any better ideas? No? Didn’t think so. Go ahead, start. I’ll be honest with you,” Magnus challenged. “Okay fine, uhm…what’s your favorite color?” Alec was kind of embarrassed at his simple question but it was the only one he could think of right away. “Purple. My turn,” Magnus answered quickly. “Hm…do you have a middle name, if so, what is it?” “Hey that counts as two questions!” Alec laughed. Magnus just gave him an anticipating look. “Fine. It’s Gideon. Alexander Gideon Lightwood. Happy now?” Magnus nodded enthusiastically. “Good, my turn. Let’s see…do you have any siblings?” He was getting better with his questions. “None. I’m an only child,” Magnus, again, quickly replied. “I’ve got a good one! What do you regret most in your life?”

On this question, Alec’s carefree look turned into a stern and cold one. His smile vanished from his lips, his eyes seemed to lose their shimmer and he turned his head away from Magnus. “You know what? I don’t really feel like playing anymore. I think I’ll just sleep now…” Alec’s words seemed pained and filled with sadness and regret. Magnus realized that he shouldn’t have asked that. He had gone too far, got too personal too soon. He obviously made Alec very uncomfortable. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to…” Magnus was interrupted by Alec who still wasn’t facing him. “It’s okay…just…go to sleep, alright?” To this, Magnus didn’t reply anymore. He simply turned around and internally smacked himself for breaking up a good time. They both fell asleep eventually.

It had started to rain outside. The wind was flaying against the houses and trees, making eerie sounds. Occasionally, you could hear a car drive by in the distance.

Alec was tossing and turning in his sleep. Magnus’ question had reminded him of things he had locked up and tried to forget about for years now. And they were all coming back and crashing over him like an oceanwave during a storm. In his dreams, Alec saw his youngest brother, Max. His crying face, his grave. Everything felt dark, cold, and lonely, like Alec would never wake up from this nightmare ever again. A perfect nothingness surrounded Alec, from which he could never escape.

Finally, he was ripped out of sleep by the sound of thunder outside his window. Alec sat up in his bed, sweating and panting. His eyes were wide with shock and he couldn’t calm himself down. He was panicking, like the darkness still surrounded him, making him oblivious to everything around him.

When Alec woke up, gasping for air, Magnus also woke. He didn’t immediately realize what was happening when he turned around. With a groggy voice, he asked “Alec? Everything alright? Alec? Alexander?” He wasn’t answering, he wouldn’t even look in Magnus’ direction. It was as if he was trapped in his mind. Magnus began to panic and moved over to Alec, grabbing his shoulders and trying to shake him out of whatever illusions he was trapped in.

“Alec, look at me! Hey, I’m here. Come on, snap out of it.” Magnus was more than concerned and Alec didn’t seem to be calming down whatsoever. So he grabbed him tightly, hugging him, pressing their bodies together and rocking back and forth while rubbing calming circles in Alec’s back. “It’s okay, come on Alec. Breathe. I’m here. Listen to my voice.”

Slowly, Alec seemed to be return from whatever hell he was trapped in. He didn’t quiet realize what was happening, he only felt a warmth surround and embrace him. When he regained control of his senses, Alec recognized the warmth enveloping him to be Magnus, who was still hugging him tightly. 

As tears started streaming down Alec’s face, he hugged Magnus back, burying his head in the other one’s shoulder, sobbing uncontrollably. 

As Alec finally began to relax again, he finally spoke. “I’m sorry…so sorry.” “Shh, don’t worry about it,” Magnus said, continuing to rub circles on Alec’s back, “I’m here, okay? Everything’s gonna be alright.”

They sat like this for a while and when Magnus felt like Alec had calmed down, he tried to stand up and get back on his couch. To his surprise, Alec was clinging onto him, not loosening his grip at all. He whispered something that Magnus couldn’t quite understand. “What was that? Speak up please.” Alec cleared his throat and repeated slightly louder, with a wavering voice “Don’t leave. Please…just…stay like this.” His voice still sounded like he was crying, like he was shaken to his core. Magnus’ heart was breaking just listening to Alec. And he wouldn’t do anything to upset him even more now. He wanted him to feel better.

“Okay,” Magnus began “We’ll just lay down and I’ll sleep right here, okay?” Alec didn’t answer but simply nodded, still unable to let go of Magnus. And so they did. They both lay down again, still tightly embracing each other. Magnus continued to whisper soothing words and pat Alec’s back.

When Alec’s breath finally evened out, Magnus kissed his hair and closed his eyes as well, drifting off into sleep.


	8. Awake

Eventually, morning came. Alec and Magnus were still holding each other. Magnus had been awake for a while, but he didn’t move so he wouldn’t disturb Alec. He didn’t know how he would react when he woke up either. Would he be uncomfortable with Magnus so close? Would he even remember what happened last night?

Alec was slowly waking up. He blinked a few times and yawned, wondering why he was so comfortably warm. Then he felt a firm body between his arms. He looked up slowly and his gaze met with Magnus’.

Suddenly, a loud knock sounded at the door to Alec’s room. Before either of them could react, Izzy had swung open the door, screaming enthusiastically. “Alec! You’re not gonna believe who…” She stopped mid-sentence when she saw the two entangled boys. They still weren’t moving, both of them were petrified in fear. For what felt like forever, they were all just staring at each other in silent shock before Izzy finally spoke with an alarmingly calm voice. “Alec? Can I just talk to you for a second? Outside.” 

Alec quickly disentangled himself from Magnus and his bed and followed Izzy outside his room. She closed the door behind him and took a deep breath. Her first words were still calm and collected but then they turned into a screech. “Alexander Gideon Lightwood. Did you sleep with Magnus last night? While I was in the house and just two doors away from you?!” She didn’t seem offended but rather amused by the thought. Alec, however, was blushing fiercely, signaling her to keep her voice down. He whisper-screamed back at her “What? No! Nothing happened Iz! I was just…I had a nightmare and then he hugged me and then we kinda…fell asleep like that.” Izzy raised an eyebrow and smirked. “Okay, no sex. I see…just a heavy make out session then?” Izzy chuckled at her own question and Alec simply blushed even more. “No! We didn’t kiss, we didn’t do anything. Please Izzy just keep it down okay? What if Jace hears any of this?” Alec tried to defend himself as best as he could. Izzy shrugged. “He isn’t home. He spent the night at Clary’s. And we both know what that means,” she winked at Alec and turned on her heel before he could protest. “I’ll leave you two lovebirds to it then, we can talk later.” She frolicked as she made her way back down the stairs.

Alec wanted to go after her and explain everything but he was too tired right now, this talk would have to wait. He sighed heavily and returned to his room where Magnus was sitting on his bed. “So how much of that did you catch?” Alec asked, rubbing his forehead. “Pretty much all of it,” Magnus replied dryly. Alec sighed again, taking a seat next to Magnus. “Look, I…I don’t know where she got the idea that…I…” He was about to make up an excuse as to why his sister would even think that he would sleep with another man, when his eyes met Magnus’. They were shining and filled with interest and concern. Alec could see no trace of hate or disgust, and for a second, he lost himself in them.

Magnus was returning the look, equally concentrated on the other boy’s eyes. The blue in them was stormy, as if there was an inner turmoil in them. They were the most beautiful eyes Magnus had ever seen.

Slowly, a warmth and need spread through them both, filling every part of their body as they stared into each other. Then, gently, and ever so slowly, they leant towards each other, as if there was a magnet between their eyes, pulling them close.

Before either of them knew what was happening, their lips connected. Neither of them pulled away, neither of them wanted to. It felt like their souls were connecting, as if they were meant to stay like this forever, as if everything around them was falling apart and nothing but the other one mattered.

They closed their eyes, deepening the kiss. Magnus’ tongue was playing against Alec’s soft, warm lips and he opened them willingly. Their tongues now chased after each other, exploring the other one’s features. They fell into a rhythm, a symphony of lips, tongues and teeth. 

When they eventually pulled away, they opened their eyes slowly and looked at each other again. “That was…wow. That just happened,” Magnus panted happily. Alec blushed and turned away, facing the floor. “That…” his voice was wavering. “I’ve never done that Magnus.” The other boy looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “Done what? Kissed another boy?” He inquired. “No…kissed anyone. Period.” Alec rubbed his arm nervously, not able to look at Magnus again. “Oh…well, did you like it? I…I enjoyed this,” Magnus gently replied, now also blushing. “Did you?” He continued. Alec turned to face him again. He looked at the other one’s face, who was now unable to return the glance.

Alec grabbed Magnus’ chin, turning him towards him and quickly connected their lips again. They both felt the same euphoria they did the first time. Their kiss was gentle and soft, slow and calm, unlike their hearts, which pounded heavily in their chests. 

When they broke apart again, they smiled at each other with heavy eyelids and a bright, warm look in their eyes, leaning their foreheads against each other’s.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Magnus whispered as Alec’s smile widened and his cheeks turned as red as a rose.


	9. Progress

Magnus stayed with Alec for the rest of the morning before he had to leave. By now, Alec didn’t want him to anymore. He wanted to save the moments they shared in his room forever. (Minus the Izzy-Intervention.) But all good things must come to an end.  
Magnus was standing in the doorway, he was about to leave. 

Eventually, a thought hit Alec like a brick in the face. What now? Where do we go from here? Is there even a “we”? Lucky for him, Magnus seemed to be able to read his mind. “So I was thinking,” he began “This wasn’t technically a date. But…would you like to go on one? I just…I’d really love to spend more time with you Alexander.” Magnus was staring at Alec, hope and want in his gaze, but also fear. Fear of rejection, fear of loneliness. After all that went on between them, he couldn’t move on and pretend like nothing had happened. And he didn’t want to either.

When Alec finally answered, Magnus’ heart was beating painfully heavy in his chest. He usually wasn’t a person to be nervous, but somehow Alec had that effect on him. He was that special. 

“I’d like that,” Alec finally replied, blushing. “But I have one condition.” He avoided Magnus’ gaze, almost like a dog that had done something bad and wouldn’t dare to look his owner in the eyes. “Could we keep this between us for now? I mean everything that’s happened. I’m still figuring out what this all…means.” He hesitated for a second. “I don’t want to offend you…but I hope you understand.” By now, he was rubbing his hands nervously. He knew this was a lot to ask because Magnus deserved to be honest to people. But he also knew that Alec wasn’t comfortable with the thought of people knowing about his sexuality. They had talked about it earlier and he told Magnus that only Izzy knew.

“That’s fine,” Magnus answered. “I can wait if it makes you more comfortable. And I want you to be just that.” He was smiling at Alec, who was returning the gesture, obviously relieved. Magnus knew that coming out to other people is hard, but accepting your sexuality for your own sake was even harder. And Alec was just beginning to understand his emotions. Magnus wouldn’t dare to push him if Alec needed time.

“I’ll text you later,” Magnus said as he left the house and waved goodbye. Alec closed the door behind him and sighed with content. These feelings were so foreign, but he needed to know where this was headed. He needed to explore them.

“Well, well, well.” Alec jumped at the sudden sound of his sister’s voice. “You have some explaining to do.” Izzy was eyeing Alec with a knowing grin. How long has she been there? “I…uh…”Alec was still a little flustered and didn’t know what she was expecting to hear. “Is there any point in trying to ignore you and just get on with my day?” Alec asked, already knowing the answer. Izzy chuckled “No, not really.”

The siblings sat at the kitchen table, Alec with a mug of coffee and Izzy with a glass of water, staring holes into Alec’s face. He was still avoiding her gaze, trying to delay the inevitable. “I’m waiting,” she said, tapping her fingers on the table. “Fine,” Alec finally gave in. “After you knocked at my door earlier…” “Sorry for that by the way,” Izzy quickly inserted. “…Magnus and I kind of…” Alec was blushing while Izzy was leaning towards him with her eyes wide open. “Yes?” She urged him. “…kissed.” 

And that was it for Izzy. She was squealing and screaming, jumping around the kitchen and shaking her brother like he had just won the lottery. Why does she seem more excited about this than me? Alec thought to himself while enduring the unholy sounds Izzy was making.

“I knew it, I knew it, I knew it! When are you seeing him again? Are you official yet? Will it be a beach wedding?!” She was still jumping around, her arms flailing beside her. Alec couldn’t help but laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation.

“Calm down sis. We just agreed on a first date. I don’t even know what we’ll do yet, he said he’d text me later. And I’d appreciate if you could keep it down a bit, I don’t need the neighbors to hear all of this,” Alec half-joked as Izzy was clapping her hands in excitement. “This is perfect,” she exclaimed. “I’ll pick out an outfit! You can’t look so basic when you’re with Magnus! And I’ll do your hair! Maybe some makeup as well, what are your thoughts on guyliner?” “Okay, you know what? I’ll just ignore these ideas,” Alec shrugged, walking up the stairs to his room. He couldn’t help but smiley to himself.

When he locked his door behind him, Alec slid down and sat on the floor, looking out his window. It had stopped raining and the early sunlight was shimmering through the remaining raindrops on the glass, reflecting onto his skin like golden freckles. Alec shut his eyes and hummed in content.

Life is good.


	10. Ideas

How does one organize a nice first date, if the boy you’re going with doesn’t want to be seen by anyone he knows? Since Magnus got home, he pondered over this question. He wanted to make an impact, a statement if you will. But he couldn’t go overboard, after all, it’s a first date and who knows what’s going to happen. He couldn’t go too basic either because that just wasn’t his style.

Magnus was lying on his back in the middle of his room on a blue carpet with his eyes closed. He had mauled over what felt like hundreds of ideas, but nothing seemed to fit. He let out a frustrated groan when his mother entered the room. One could really see the resemblance between them. Their faces looked very much alike, only that Magnus wore even more makeup and his hair was shorter. 

“Magnus, darling, I was about to leave for work…are you alright?” she asked with a confused look on her face. Magnus turned his head towards his mother, debating whether or not to tell her what was going on. Then again, she always had the best advice.

“I’m going on a date with this guy from school, he’s really nice and I want to make it special and all. But the problem is, he isn’t out yet and he doesn’t want anyone to know yet.” His mother furrowed her brows before lying down next to him.

“Cinema?” she began. “Too simple,” Magnus replied. “A nice restaurant?” “No, what if anyone sees us…” “Just ask him to come over?” “No offense, but I’d rather not run the risk of you being around,” Magnus chuckled. His mother hit his arm and faked being indignant. Magnus laughed, but it wasn’t his usual carefree laugh, it was an occupied and forced one. He really was running out of ideas. “Got any other ideas?” “Well, what about a picnic? Somewhere private, where not many people get around to.” His mother shrugged. At this comment, Magnus eyes lit up and his mouth grew into a bright smile. “Mom, you are a genius! Thanks,” Magnus frolicked. Seeing her job done, his mother got up. “Glad I could help,” she replied, laughing. 

When she had left, Magnus picked up his phone and started texting Alec immediately, barely able to contain his excitement about his grand idea. 

“I just came up with the perfect idea for our date. Are you free tomorrow evening? Let’s say around 7 PM?”

Magnus didn’t have to wait long for his reply.

“Sure, what are we doing?

“Don’t worry about it, it’s a surprise;) Casual clothes, I’ll pick you up;*”

“All right, see you then”

Magnus was flouncing happily on his bed. This day truly had been perfect.

Little did he know, Alec was just as excited. The next day, he knocked at his sister’s door. She had offered to help him with his wardrobe and, though Alec didn’t like to admit it, Izzy was just the person to help him out. He felt like he should at least kind of dress up for a date and maybe his sister could help him with that.

She opened her door, and grinned at Alec. “Can I help you?” she asked. “Actually, yes. I could use some help with…an outfit. For my date.” Alec almost whispered to her, he was sort of embarrassed to ask for his sister’s advice. But before he could ponder too much on that thought, Izzy ran out of her room and straight into his own. When Alec caught up with her, she was already digging through his closet.

“Brother dear, have I ever told you that your wardrobe could really use an upgrade? I mean come on, almost every article you own has holes! And what is it with your hoddie collection? Don’t you own anything more…flattering?” Her speech was muffled by Alec’s clothes, some of which were flying through the room in search of the best possible choice. Instead of protesting, Alec just stood there and watched his sister. Once she got started, she couldn’t be stopped and he knew that perfectly well.

After 20 minutes of intense cloth-digging, Izzy presented the winning outfit. The tightest pair of black jeans Alec owned and a blue shirt that actually didn’t have a hole in it. Simple but stylish, as Izzy put it. 

“Now you’re all geared up for your date big brother,” she said, wiping away a fake tear. “I just…I never thought I’d live to see the day you actually went out for the first time,” she joked. Alec simply rolled his eyes at her. She did have a point there actually.

“Did I just hear something about Alec going on a date?!” a voice suddenly yelled from outside. Alec and Izzy looked at each other in shock when Jace entered the room with a grin on his face. “Well,” he continued “Care to explain?”

“I uh…look Jace this isn’t…shit. It’s nothing okay? Just…keep it down, will ya?” Alec tried to reason with him. “Are you kidding me?” Jace simply exclaimed. “This is a big deal! You’ve never been on a date! Who’s the lucky girl?” He continued with a wicked grin on his face. Alec was beginning to blush and Izzy couldn’t bring out a word either. They just stood there in silence while Jace was waiting for an answer.

But Alec wasn’t ready to tell him yet. He was barely ready to tell his sister when she asked, but now was just not the right time to tell his brother. He finally mustered up enough confidence to at least remove himself from the situation as elegantly as possible.

“Look Jace, we’ll talk later okay? I uhm…gotta hurry. I shouldn’t be late alright? See ya.” And with that, Alec shoved Jace out of the way and raced to the front door, hoping where Magnus had just arrived in his car. He lowered the window and called out to Alec. “You ready darling?” Alec didn’t need to think about that twice. He quickly got into the car, closed the window and sighed in relief when they finally were out of sight. 

“Is everything alright? You seemed to be in a hurry. I could’ve waited another 5 minutes you know?” Magnus joked. Alec was finally able to calm down and focus on more important matters. He laughed, still breathing heavily from running. “Let’s just say I couldn’t wait to see you.” Alec smiled comfortably and Magnus did as well. He couldn’t care less what had happened before, he was just glad to have his Alexander for himself for a little while.

Meanwhile, back at the Lightwood’s house, Jace and Izzy were left standing in Alec’s room after he took off so hastily. Jace turned to Izzy who was shaking her head at the thought of having to deal with Jace on her own now. She couldn’t tell him what was going on with Alec of course. But she knew very well that Jace wouldn’t let her off just like that. 

“You, my dear sister, have some explaining to do,” Jace looked at her, raising a single eyebrow. Izzy shook her head and softly replied, more to herself than to Jace “The things I do for you Alec…”


	11. Deeper

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Virtual cookies for whoever finds the RENT reference...it's really not that hard to spot.

During their car ride, Alec had the chance to calm down a bit. He told Magnus what happened and he simply laughed at the ridiculousness of the situation. All of Alec’s worries seemed to melt away when he was with Magnus, like there was no interrogating Jace at home, no people around who would judge him, nothing but him and Magnus.

Alec was so occupied in his strange state of bliss that he didn’t even recognize the route they were on. It was only when Magnus stopped the engine that his mind returned to the here and now. Magnus smiled at him and got out of the car, Alec followed soon after. When he looked around, Alec finally realized that they were at the park where he once met Magnus. Alec smiled, this really was the perfect spot.

Magnus got a basket out of his trunk and signed for Alec to follow him. They made their way to the bench they were sitting that first night and started to spread out the red checkered blanket Magnus had brought with him. “Toned it down for me?” Alec joked. “It’s a classic,” Magnus replied chuckling.

They sat down beside each other and started eating the sandwiches Magnus had brought. The whole situation was simple yet perfect. Truly a classic. Both of the boys were enjoying themselves, even without physical contact, even without talking the entire time. But just being around each other was enough for them.

“This is perfect,” Alec said, looking at Magnus. “Don’t get used to it, I didn’t actually make these,” Magnus replied, grinning. Alec hit his shoulder playfully and stared off into the park. “Not the damn sandwiches. I mean all of this. You really thought about this haven’t you?” Magnus realized that Alec was practically glowing with happiness. He was taking a mental note to make him feel this way whenever he could, because the sight before his eyes truly was amazing.

“You said that you didn’t want anyone to know, which I completely understand. And I wanted you to be comfortable, I told you that already,” Magnus smiled at Alec. “So if you’re happy, then I am as well.” 

Alec turned to Magnus, their eyes meeting. Just from that, Alec was beginning to blush. Maybe this was the time to find out where all of this was heading. Maybe their first kiss had been a mistake. Maybe this was going nowhere. But maybe, just maybe, they had a chance. And Alec needed to know.

“Can…c-can I kiss you?” Alec questioned, cursing himself for stuttering. Magnus simply moved closer and cupped Alec’s cheek. “Of course,” he replied softly. Then their lips met. 

There were no fireworks. There was no cheesy music playing in their ears. There were no tears of joy. There was nothing of that kind. But there they were. Just the two of them, nothing else. And that was enough.

They melted into each other, becoming a single unit. They didn’t care what was around them anymore, they didn’t care for the world, they only cared for each other in this very moment. 

They lay down on the blanket, deepening their kiss, enjoying their familiar lips. Every movement they made sent shivers down their spines. Their hands started to trail down their torsos, Magnus holding onto Alec’s side while Alec cupped Magnus’ neck and grabbed his waist. They were pressed against each other, their legs tangled. Magnus started to play soft, featherlike kisses down Alec’s neck. Alec responded by holding onto Magnus’ hair and breathing in sharply. He pulled him back up so their lips could meet again. Alec caressed Magnus’ cheek and kissed him with passion and want.

Finally, they broke apart. Their lips were swollen, their eyes hazy but both of them were filled with ecstasy. Magnus took hold of Alec’s hand and entwined them, kissing it quickly. They were staring at each other, both of them smiling happily.

“So...” Alec began softly “A-are we a thing?” He was blushing again but kept looking at Magnus who was now grinning widely, revealing his perfectly aligned white teeth. “Darling, we’re everything,” he simply replied. “As in, like, boyfriends?” Alec had to make sure he wasn’t imagining this. “Of course,” Magnus replied, kissing Alec’s forehead. Alec felt a new kind of warmth spreading all over him at the thought of calling Magnus his boyfriend. This was all so new, but it felt so right. 

When it got dark, Magnus decided it would be best to get home, his other would be worried about him. Though neither of them really wanted to leave, they finally made their way back to Magnus’ car. During the entire ride, they were holding each other’s hand, though Alec still seemed to be a little embarrassed by the gesture.

When they finally arrived at the Lightwood house, Magnus pulled Alec in for a quick kiss. “I’ll see you in school,” he said, barely containing his excitement. Alec chuckled and opened the car door. “Text me when you’re home,” he replied, smiling and waving at Magnus.

Alec entered his home, head still spinning, his thoughts still with Magnus. He couldn’t help but smile like a dork to the empty room. That was when he heard a rumbling noise and…was that a scream? Alec looked around; the house still looked like it did when he left earlier. But now he could hear steps above, they seemed to be getting closer. Alec’s breath started to quicken; should he call the police? What if there were burglars around? 

Suddenly, Izzy rand around the corner of the top floor and down the stairs, straight towards Alec. She looked like she had been crying, her hair was a mess and she hid behind Alec, grabbing onto his shirt as if her life depended on it. “Izzy, what the hell is going on?” But she didn’t care to answer the question. She simply screamed at him. 

“Alec! You have to protect me!”


	12. Further

Alec looked at his sister in shock. “Iz, what’s going on? What happened?!” “It was horrible…he-he…” Izzy was breathing heavily, she looked terrified. Suddenly, Alec heard someone stomping down the hallway, coming their way. He was prepared for the worst, ready to run out the door and carry Izzy with him if he needed to. To his surprise however, it was Jace who came running around the corner. He was sweating but didn’t look half as bad as Izzy. When he saw Alec standing there, absolutely overwhelmed with the situation, his eyes widened and he practically threw himself down the stairs towards him.

“You! Where have you been? And with who?” He was bright red, and something was burning in his eyes. It wasn’t anger, though it was close, but it was something else instead. “Izzy hasn’t told me a thing and I want answers, right now!” He exclaimed. All Alec could do was stare at him with confusion and a tiny bit of fear. 

Then Izzy, who was still cowering behind Alec spoke up again. “He tickled me Alec! It was horrible! He has been trying to get some information out of me since you were gone! Please don’t leave me alone with him again.” Alec could hear a genuine fear in her voice, she was shaking.

Then it hit Alec. He remembered how he left earlier, leaving Izzy and Jace alone in his room. Did he really try to get something out of her since then?! Alec raised his hands in a defensive stance, trying to calm Jace down. “Listen, it’s complicated,” he began but was soon interrupted by his brother. “I don’t care! I want some answers and you’re going to provide them.” Jace’s eyes were still burning with the strange emotion Alec could only describe as a combination of passion and rage.

This was happening. Could Alec tell his brother? Izzy had been open-minded and accepting, but Alec had the feeling that Jace wouldn’t take the news as well. What if he’s disgusted? What if he doesn’t want to be around me because I like boys? Alec was jumping to conclusions again, all he could think of in this moment was the fear of losing one of his siblings. Another one. And what for? For being honest? For being himself? All of his thoughts began to engulf him, they were gripping him, pulling him apart and threatening to tear right through him.

But suddenly, something else flashed through Alec. It was an image, and image of what had happened just before he got back home. Memories of the moments he and Magnus shared earlier were flooding Alec’s mind, each of them chipping away at the darkness that was surrounding him, allowing him to see clearly again.

Alec didn’t see a raging animal in front of him, but his brother; filled with concern. And just like it was with Izzy, suddenly everything became clear. No more fear, no more secrets.

“Well?” Jace inquired, still boiling inside. He saw that something in Alec’s expression had changed, as if he was bracing himself for what he was about to say. “I was with…” Alec began, now unable to suppress the smile creeping into his expression. “I was with my boyfriend.” At that, Jace’s expression and his entire body, which had been tense the whole time, began to relax, instead, he looked puzzled.

“Your what?” He asked calmly. “Your what?” Izzy exclaimed from behind Alec, almost in unison with Jace. Her fear had disappeared in a matter of seconds. Alec chuckled, grabbed Izzy and pulled her around him so she was standing next to Jace. Her face was lit up, filled with nothing but joy and excitement. Alec couldn’t help but grin sheepishly. “I said, I was with my boyfriend,” he simply repeated.

Izzy couldn’t help but jump at her brother, hugging him tightly. “I’m so happy for you Alec, you have no idea!” she yelled. Jace was still standing still with a calm expression, staring into Alec’s eyes. Slowly, the older one began to feel uncomfortable. Maybe this wasn’t a good idea. Maybe he does hate me now. Alec was beginning to regret the last seconds immensely when Jace finally spoke. “I have just one question.” He still looked into Alec’s eyes, while his own didn’t give away what was actually going on inside him. Alec swallowed loudly, fearing his brother’s judgement. This is it, he’s going to yell at me, hit me, he’s going to tell mom and dad and they’re going to throw me out. It’s over, I’m done.

“Why did Izzy know about this before me?” Wait…what? Jace laughed loudly, joining his sister and hugging Alec tightly. Alec was completely flustered. That was certainly not what he was expecting. “I…uhm, sorry? She…well, she kinda figured it out on her own,” Alec tried to explain. “Y-you are not mad?” he continued. “What? No, why would I be? You’re my brother Alec, I’m happy for you. But you gotta tell me, who is it?”

And just when Alec thought this evening couldn’t get any better, the universe decided to throw him a curveball. When they heard the door behind them unlock, the three siblings turned to face it. Standing in the doorway was a tall woman with long, dark hair, pulled back in a tight ponytail. Her eyes were the same color as Alec’s and Isabelle’s but a shade darker. Her facial expression was cold and unreadable. She looked powerful, almost like a matriarch. 

“What’s going on here?” Maryse Lightwood inquired her kids.


	13. Protect

There are many words to describe Maryse Lightwood. Forgiving or understanding are not very high on that list. So naturally, when she walked in on Alec and his siblings after he just came out to Jace, all of them were scared out of their minds.

Maryse was never a bad mother, but she wasn’t around very much and to say she passed judgement quickly was an understatement. Alec feared nothing more than disappointing her, giving her a reason to hate him. Though she was distant and sometimes cold, she was still his mother, and Alec didn’t want him being gay destroy his relationship with his family. Sure, Izzy and Jace had been understanding, but his parents were different. They were more…traditional.

“Well? Will someone answer me already?” Maryse’ tone was cold and demanding. There was no chance of getting out of this situation. Alec was beginning to panic, all blood drained from his face. Izzy wasn’t doing much better either, she was trying to think of something, anything to say but she blanked. “I, uhm…” Alec finally begun, though he didn’t know where he was going with this. “I just…”

Before he could say any more, Jace interrupted him, his voice determined and unwavering. “I just told them that I have a girlfriend.” At Jace’s words, both Alec and Isabelle turned their heads towards him, their eyes wide but they quickly went with it. “Yeah, that’s right. He just told us,” Izzy continued. “Her name’s Clary,” Jace added. 

Maryse was looking at the three of them, her gaze shifting between the three, as if she was searching for the truth. “I see…how long has this been going on? Why haven’t you told me?” When their mother finally seemed to buy Jace’s story, relief overcame the three. “Well, we’ve just got together officially. I didn’t have the chance to tell you yet. I guess now I have…” Maryse nodded, seemingly approving. “Maybe you should bring her over for dinner sometime, I’d like to meet her.” “Sure, I’ll ask her when she’s free,” Jace happily concurred. And just like that, Maryse strolled past them into the kitchen. When she was out of sight, all three of the siblings let out a sigh of relief.

“Thank you Jace,” Alec begun but Jace quickly dismissed him, waving his hand. “I wasn’t lying, I did mean to tell you so I guess we’ve got that out of the way. But you definitely owe me one,” Jace said with a smirk on his face. Alec smiled and made his way up to his room, patting Jace’s shoulder. Izzy was probably now starting a Q&A session about Jace’s new girlfriend, Alec knew he’d have to get through one too eventually. But for now, he wanted some time for himself. 

When he got to his room, Alec swung himself onto his bed and got out his phone. There was a new message from Magnus and Alec couldn’t help but smile when he read it.

“Just got home, I hope you had as great of a time as I did…”

“Sure did. Can’t wait to see you again:)” Alec couldn’t help but blush at his own message. He felt like a teenage school girl.

“Me too”

“So…I kinda came out to my brother just now”

“Really? How did it go?”

“Very good actually, though he didn’t really appreciate that Izzy knew before him”

“That’s good, I’m really happy for you Alexander…listen I’m going to bed, see you tomorrow, okay?”

“Sure:) nice dreams Magnus”

“I hope you’re in them;) Good night”

And with Magnus’ last message, Alec let his head sink onto his pillow. He was still smiling to himself, he couldn’t even imagine someone hoping to dream of him, yet here Magnus was. All of the feelings that were so strange and pressing just a few days ago had now turned into joy and happiness. If it wasn’t for the fact that he wouldn’t be able to see Magnus anymore, he could die right now and be happy with it.

Suddenly, Jace entered his room. “Hey there,” he begun. “Hey, I guess Izzy is finished with her questions?” Alec grinned at him. “Don’t even get me started,” Jace replied chuckling. “I just wanted to talk to you for a bit, brother to brother, you know?” “Sure, what’s up?” Alec asked. Jace sat down at Alec’s desk chair and looked sternly at him. “First of all, I’m really happy for you. But I gotta ask…do you plan on telling mom and dad?” Alec looked down at his hands. He knew that he couldn’t hide his sexuality forever, but he feared what would happen if he revealed it and for the moment, he just wanted to enjoy the time he had with Magnus.

“I will…eventually,” he began “but I’m just not ready yet. You won’t tell anyone will you?” “No, of course not. But I want you to know that, whatever happens, I’m here for you, alright?” Jace asked, showing a half-smile. “Also, I’m still mad that Izzy knew about this before me!” Alec rolled his eyes and threw his pillow at his brother. “You really can’t get over that, can you?” he asked as Jace faked being deeply hurt. 

Yes, for the time being, life was good. More than that, it was perfect. Alec was flying high, he felt untouchable. He had Magnus, he had his siblings, and that’s all he could ask for at the moment. He hoped that he could savor this feeling for as long as possible, but eventually, something would bring him down again. 

Life isn’t just about the highs, but also about the lows and how you cope with them, who goes through them with you and who leaves you when it gets uncomfortable. For Alec and Magnus, there were still some rough lessons to be learned.


	14. Hero

It was morning, Magnus was sitting at his kitchen table, absentmindedly stirring a cup of tea. He was staring off into the room with a constant smile on his face. He was so wrapped up in the memories of the previous evening that he didn’t even realize when his mother entered the room.

“So, how was your date darling?” she asked, sitting down beside him. Startled, Magnus almost fell from his chair, causing his mother to chuckle. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you darling.” “It’s alright,” Magnus said, sitting up again and taking a sip from his tea. “Well, judging from your look, I’d say you had a nice evening,” his mother observed. “You could say that,” Magnus replied, still smiling. “I really want you to meet him. He’s cute, he’s shy, he’s beautiful, he’s sincere, he’s funny…he’s awesome mom,” he continued as he sighed happily, causing another chuckle to erupt from his mother.

“You really like him, don’t you? It’s been a while since I’ve seen you so…happy,” she said, pulling Magnus into a hug. “I’m really happy for you too. I know, things haven’t been easy with the move and all but I guess now we could say that it was for the best.”

Magnus and his mother had always been very close. His father died before he was born and the two have been inseparable ever since. She was not only his mother but also one of his best friends.   
When she met Magnus’ stepfather, Magnus wasn’t too fond of him, but seeing how happy he made her, Magnus accepted him eventually. When their relationship turned sour, it was Magnus who pulled his mother out of her sadness and fear, and he was her reason to carry on, to stay strong. They both decided that they needed a fresh start. Though Magnus didn’t like the idea of leaving all of his friends behind, he knew it was for the best to move as far away as possible from his hometown. Luckily, his mother managed to land a well-paid job, working for a local newspaper. Together with the money his father left them, they were able to afford a house (though it was almost too spacious for the two of them alone).

Whenever he needed her, his mother was there for Magnus. He couldn’t have asked for any more of her and he knew how lucky he was to have such an accepting and open parent.

“Well darling, I need to get going, want me to pick up some Chinese food for dinner?” his mother asked, getting up. “Sounds great, I’ll see you after school.” “I love you Maggie,” she said cheerfully as she grabbed her coat. “Love you too mom,” Magnus replied, waving her goodbye.

School still was horrible. Though he didn’t lack behind as much in Math anymore, Magnus was getting frustrated. It’s hard when the most beautiful human being on earth is sitting beside you the entire day and you can’t even hold his hand. But Magnus knew that Alec wasn’t ready to go public, and he also knew that he was worth the wait. Whenever he could however, Magnus would stare shamelessly at Alec, dreaming about what they could do if they were alone.

When lunchbreak finally came around, Alec, Isabelle and Magnus sat down together. “I was thinking, we should totally go out shopping with Alec, he could really use some new clothes,” Izzy said to Magnus, earning her an annoyed look from Alec. “I think one of us wouldn’t enjoy that so much Izzy,” Magnus chuckled, causing Alec to shift his annoyed expression from Izzy to him. 

Izzy and Magnus chatted on about how a little color would bring out Alec’s eyes when Jace suddenly appeared. He had his arm slung around a girl with fiery red hair, compared to Jace, she seemed tiny. “Guys, this is Clary,” he announced triumphantly. The redheaded girl waved at them. They sat down and introductions were exchanged.

Clairy seemed nice, she loved art and was pretty feisty. Alec liked her, she balanced out Jace’s arrogance, which sometimes showed when they were alone. It was the first time he didn’t have to be jealous because one of his siblings had a partner. Now, he had Magnus, and he was all Alec ever hoped for.

The group sat at their table and chatted away for most of the lunchbreak, when suddenly Mr. Starkweather, the principle of the school, showed up. He seemed to be searching for someone in the cafeteria and when he finally saw Magnus, he made his way over to the table where Alec and the others were seated.

It was unusual for the principal to leave his office, it usually meant that someone was in big trouble. He had an uneasy look and tried his best to keep his voice down. He leant down to whisper something into Magnus’ ear. He then quickly got back up and made his way back to (presumably) his office.

Magnus’ carefree expression didn’t change, he simply got up and announced, “There’s a call for me…wonder what that’s about.” He quickly dismissed himself, following Mr. Starkweather.

Though he was only gone for a few minutes, Alec already missed the presence of his boyfriend. Though they didn’t really share any physical contact, his mere presence was soothing and relaxing to Alec. It was only then when he realized, how much easier his life felt with someone around who understood, someone who truly cared despite not being related. It was in this moment that Alec felt truly blessed to have Magnus.


	15. Sorrow

Magnus didn’t return for the rest of the school day. Alec was beginning to feel uneasy, he worried that something bad happened. He wanted nothing more than to finally leave and call his boyfriend.

After their last period, Alec was already waiting impatiently for his siblings in the parking lot. He tried to call Magnus as soon as he left the school building but he wouldn’t pick up. Alec’s stomach was beginning to twist and turn with worry. 

“What took you so long?” he inquired as Izzy and Jace made their way towards him. “Calm down Alec, we’re humans, not racing cars,” his sister replied. “Still worried about your BF?” Jace joked, hitting Alec’s shoulder playfully. “Yes, in fact I am. He didn’t answer my call or any of my texts,” Alec said, rubbing his hand nervously as he made his way to the driver’s seat. Jace and Izzy exchanged a worried look and quickly got into the car. “Look, it’s probably fine. Maybe he’s just taking a nap or something?” Izzy said, trying to cheer her brother up, but to no avail. His eyebrows remained furrowed and he wore a light frown. He didn’t even bother to answer her.

When they got home, Alec rushed inside, trying again and again to call Magnus, but he didn’t answer. Alec was pacing around the kitchen nervously, he wasn’t able to think properly, he couldn’t calm down. The longer he waited for a reply from Magnus, the more anxious he became. 

A while later, Jace entered the kitchen, sitting down at the dining table with his hands on it. He observed Alec with a concerned look on his face. “Listen Alec, if something happened he would’ve called you already. You need to calm down, I’m sure it’s nothing.” When he heard Jace’s words, Alec snapped. “But what if it isn’t? What if something happened? Am I supposed to just sit around and do nothing?!” he yelled at his brother. 

Jace’s eyes widened. His brother never yelled, he never really raised his voice. So when he did, Jace realized how sincerely concerned he was. When Alec saw the look on his brother’s face, he immediately wanted to apologize, it wasn’t fair for him to take this out on Jace. Before either of them could say a word, however, Alec’s phone rang. 

“Magnus? Hey, is everything alright? I was worried,” Alec began as Jace was watching him anxiously. “Hey…uhm,” Magnus said, his voice was shaky and soar, which didn’t help with Alec’s worries at all. When he heard Magnus sob through the phone, Alec’s heart was shattered into a million tiny pieces, he wanted nothing more than to hold him, hug him tightly and promise him that everything would be alright. “Can…can you just come over?” Magnus continued with an unsteady voice. He didn’t need to tell Alec twice. “I’m on my way, send me your address, I’ll be there as fast as I can,” he replied. Magnus hung up after letting out another heart wrenching sigh.

“I’ve gotta go, Jace I’m so sorry for…” before he could finish, Jace interrupted his brother by raising his hand dismissively. “Go, he needs you,” he simply said.

As Alec grabbed his keys and jacket, Jace watched him with concern. To him, it was infuriating that he couldn’t help his brother right now, that he couldn’t protect his family from everything. Familiar emotions boiled up inside of him as he made his way up to Izzy’s room to tell her what happened.

Alec was driving way too fast. For the entire drive, thoughts of what might have happened swirled through his brain like leaves carried by the autumn breeze. He couldn’t bear the thought of something bad happening to Magnus. He needed to be with him right now, every part of his being was driven towards Magnus, wanting to stop his hurt. 

When Alec finally arrived at the address that Magnus had sent him, he stood before a large house. It was painted blue and surrounded by a metal fence, giving it a majestic flair. But Alec didn’t stop to admire the architecture, he stormed to the front door, knocking and tapping his foot impatiently. Nothing happened. He knocked again, louder this time. Still nothing happened. Anxiety was beginning to grab at Alec again, as he tried to push the door open by force.

To his surprise, it wasn’t locked. He stumbled inside, barely stopping himself from falling to the ground. “Magnus?” he called out. “Magnus where are you?” Still no answer. “It’s me, Alec. Magnus, please answer me.” That’s when Alec heard something shuffling upstairs. Without a second thought, Alec ran up the stairs and towards the noise. He ended up in front of a dark, wooden door. He was certain, the noise was coming from inside this room. After taking a deep, shaky breath, Alec slowly opened the door.

What he saw when he did so, completely broke what was left of his heart. There, sitting on the floor, was Magnus. He looked horrible. His hair was disheveled, his eyes were puffy and red, he was shaking, rocking back and forth.

When Magnus heard his door opening, he looked up, his gaze meeting Alec’s. Magnus knew that he looked like an absolute mess, but he didn’t care. All he cared about, was that Alec was here now. Before he knew it, Alec was set down next to him. They hugged each other as Magnus buried his face in Alec’s shoulder, not able to hold back his tears. 

To Alec, this situation was more than familiar. Just as Magnus did when he held him, Alec started to rub Magnus’ back as he placed a soft kiss on the other one’s forehead. “Shh, it’s okay, I’m here,” Alec whispered to the trembling boy in his arms. “What happened?” “Alec…m-my mom, she…” Magnus couldn’t finish his sentence, he was exhausted, sobs still escaping his mouth, tears rushing down his face. He grabbed Alec tighter, as if he was the only thing that kept him from completely slipping away.

They sat like this for a while, and though Magnus still hadn’t completely calmed down, he started to explain what happened. “My m-mom she…she got into a car accident. I was in the h-hospital earlier but they wouldn’t let me see her…they said her condition was bad…” Another sob escaped Magnus as he explained. Alec’s eyes widened in shock. He wanted nothing more than to make Magnus feel better but he didn’t know what to say or what to do. “I can’t lose my mom Alec…I can’t.” Magnus voice was barely a whisper, it was filled with hurt, sadness, and fear.

That’s when Alec grabbed his shoulders and made him look up into his eyes. “Listen to me Magnus. It’s going to be alright. I’m here for you, I won’t leave you. We’ll get through this together okay?” Alec’s voice also sounded shaky, yet it was filled with determination. Magnus stared into the other one’s eyes for a second before nodding. Alec pulled him back in. He didn’t loosen his grip until Magnus tears had stopped and his breathing, though still shaky, had evened out.

Then, Alec pulled him up, sweeping him off his feet and carrying him bridal style to his bed. “You need to rest.” Alec’s voice was filled with concern and…love. In this moment, he reminded Magnus of his mother. Magnus wanted to protest, saying that he was fine, but he couldn’t. He actually was too weak and exhausted. 

After he positioned Magnus on his bed, Alec grabbed his phone and quickly called Jace.

“Hey Jace, I’m not coming home tonight. I…I need to stay with Magnus,” he explained. “Is everything alright? Alec, are you okay?” Alec wished he could say so, but he really wasn’t. “I’m…fine Jace. But I can’t leave Magnus right now, just…I’ll explain tomorrow.” Jace sighed. “You know that mom and dad are not going to like this right?” he replied, though he knew that he couldn’t change Alec’s mind. “I know. It’s fine, this is more important…I’ll see you tomorrow Jace. Thanks.” And with this, he hung up, not waiting for an answer. He tossed his phone aside and lay down next to Magnus. He wrapped his arms around him and placed Magnus’ head on his chest.

Magnus looked up at Alec, their eyes meeting. He placed a quick kiss on the other one’s lips. “Thank you Alec…” he sighed as Alec placed a kiss on his nose. “You’re welcome,” he said, wiping a strand of hair out of Magnus’ face and smiling weakly at him. 

As they laid there, Magnus hoped that this was all just a dream, that he would wake up in the morning and everything would be alright. But even if it wasn’t, at least he had Alec beside him.


	16. Care

Magnus didn’t get much sleep. Though Alec’s presence had calmed him down somewhat, he was still thinking about his mother. He didn’t wake from a dream, he had to realize that this was reality, this was happening. When he thought about the future, tears started dwelling in his eyes again. Magnus didn’t know how he could go on from here.

Alec yawned as he slowly opened his eyes. He looked down at Magnus and rubbed his arm softly. “Hey,” Alec said, his voice hoarse. “Morning,” Magnus replied weakly, trying his best to conceal his tears. “You should probably get to school,” he continued, but Alec quickly dismissed his proposal, shaking his head. “I’m right where I’m supposed to be.” Alec leaned down and kissed Magnus, silencing a soft cry escaping his lips.

They decided to drop by the hospital in the afternoon to see if they could see Magnus’ mother. Alec prepared some breakfast for them, while Magnus was watching him closely. He didn’t know how he deserved Alec, if it wasn’t for him…Magnus didn’t even want to think about that. He was glad that he didn’t have to be alone right now. 

They ate in comfortable silence, when a vibrating sound shot through the air. Alec sighed as he grabbed his phone. Looking at the caller’s ID, he wasn’t looking forward to what would inevitably happen when he picked up.

“Hi dad.” “Alexander Gideon Lightwood! What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” Robert’s voice was harsh and filled with rage. Alec could easily picture how the vein in his neck was popping out as he screamed at his son. “I…” Before Alec could say another word, his father interrupted him. “You didn’t come home without telling me or your mother, you are not in school either. Are you out of your mind? We were worried sick! You are coming home right now or so help me God, I’ll…” “I can’t!” Alec yelled back. Magnus, who could obviously hear everything his father was saying, grabbed Alec’s hand and squeezed it. He wanted Alec to stay, maybe he needed him to stay, but he didn’t want him to get into so much trouble because of him either.

Alec looked at Magnus, his blue eyes staring into Magnus’ green ones as if he was searching for an answer. Magnus seemed to understand exactly what Alec was asking, so he nodded as Alec started to rub the back of his hand.

“I won’t come home. I’m with a friend, his mother had an accident and he needs me right now,” Alec said, mirroring the firmness of his own mother’s voice. “I don’t give a damn about your friend or his mother. You are coming home-” And that was when Alec snapped. All the tension that built inside of him was now crashing down like an avalanche, as he yelled back at his father. “Think about what you just said. I’m not coming, you can fuck right off dad.” And just like that, he hung up. He shuddered as he sighed, trying to calm down.

Magnus looked at Alec with a mixture of shock and admiration. He didn’t know what to think or what to do. Though he didn’t like to admit it, Magnus realized what was probably best in this situation. He didn’t want Alec to do something he’d regret.

“Maybe you should go,” Magnus began, causing Alec to shift his widened eyes towards him. “I don’t want you to get in any more trouble because of me. I don’t want you to ruin your relationship to your father,” Magnus continued. That was when Alec put a finger on his lips. He looked deep into Magnus eyes and thought for a second about what he was going to say next.

“My relationship with my father has been ruined since my youngest brother died,” Alec began, not looking away for a second. “You are more important and I won’t leave you, I promised. And I will keep that promise.” Magnus eyes went wide, it took him a while to process what Alec had just said. He couldn’t even read Alec’s emotions in this moment. Magnus wished he knew what to reply, but he came up blank. So he let his actions speak for him, leaning forward and capturing Alec’s lips with his own.

Their kiss was slow and sweet. Magnus tried to put every emotion, all of his feelings into it. If he couldn’t say what he needed to, he wanted to show it. Alec held him firmly. They both wanted to get lost in this moment forever and just forget the world around them. 

They stayed like this for a few minutes, before breaking apart. Magnus was looking at Alec, searching for any hint of regret. But he couldn’t find any. All he saw was the most amazing person he’d ever met. His caring, beautiful boyfriend. Magnus leant his forehead against Alec’s, nuzzling the younger one’s nose, causing a soft chuckle to erupt from Alec.

“I love you Magnus,” Alec said as his cheeks and ears turned bright red. Magnus stared at him with an unreadable look on his face.   
Alec didn’t really think about the importance of those few words before he said them out loud. They just spilled from his lips, as if his soul knew something that his mind had yet to realize. He didn’t regret saying it, he knew that he loved Magnus. But he wondered if it was too soon or if this wasn’t the right moment.

But before he could ponder for too long on his thoughts, Magnus took him by surprise. “I love you too, Alexander.” Now it was Magnus who turned bright red. 

They both smiled at each other and chuckled, neither of them even noticing the stray tears roaming down both of their cheeks as they hugged and kissed each other softly.


	17. Past

“I don’t know if I can do this,” Magnus said, his voice unsteady. “I don’t think I can handle seeing her like this.” Now that they were standing in front of the hospital, Magnus’ determination to see his mother was beginning to falter. Alec sighed, this situation felt all too familiar. “Magnus, if you don’t go in there now, you might regret it for the rest of your life.” There was pain and hurt in Alec’s words. Magnus wondered why, but he quickly pushed his thoughts away. Alec was probably right.

The hospital was cold and unwelcoming. Alec had texted his siblings to let them know where he was, so they wouldn’t worry too much about him. The pair was standing at the reception, Alec’s arm around Magnus’ shoulder. “You can see her, but only for a little while. She’s still in a bad condition,” the nurse told them. Though this wasn’t precisely good news, Magnus was still relieved to at least be able to see his mother.

They walked down a corridor, stopping in front of a light blue door. Magnus took in a deep breath as Alec reached out and intertwined their hands. “You’re going to be alright. I’m right here with you,” he said with a reassuring smile on his lips. Magnus squeezed his hand and slowly opened the door. 

When he saw his unconscious mother lying on the hospital bed, numerous tubes attached to her and a slow, constant beeping sound coming from a heart monitor, Magnus couldn’t stop his tears from falling any longer. He began to tremble as Alec held him tightly so he wouldn’t black out. They made their way to her bed as Magnus sobbed softly.

“Hi mom,” he said with a shaky voice. Alec wanted to cry as well, but he knew he’d have to stay strong for Magnus. He rubbed circles on his back, trying to ease the pain. Magnus slung his arm around Alec’s waist and sighed. “This is Alec. I told you about him,” Magnus continued as Alec smiled at him with glassy eyes. “It’s nice to meet you,” Alec greeted the woman, smiling softly.  
They stood there in silence for a while. Magnus grip on Alec never loosened, he really did need him there right now.

“She’d adore you,” Magnus sighed, resting his head on Alec’s shoulder, causing him to chuckle softly. “Thank you for coming,” Magnus continued. “Of course,” Alec replied, smiling at Magnus. He pulled him into a hug and placed a soft kiss on the other one’s forehead. 

The two left shortly after, making their way to the parking lot and sitting in Alec’s car in silence for a minute. Magnus stared off into the distance, his mind not able to focus on a single thought. Alec wore a strange look, as if he was thinking about his next move, but Magnus was too occupied to notice.

“I want to show you something,” Alec finally begun. Magnus turned to face him, raising an eyebrow. “It’s…I think you should know.” Magnus simply nodded, he didn’t know what to expect really, but he’d be glad to be distracted right now. 

Magnus didn’t know where they were headed. Alec had been silent for the entire ride and they were driving along a field path that didn’t seem familiar. In the distance, Magnus could make out a rigid stonewall appearing on the horizon. There was an iron gate which looked like an entrance, some statues were placed on either side of it but from this distance, Magnus couldn’t make out what they resembled.

Alec stopped the car, parking it at the side of the narrow road. He grabbed Magnus’ hand as they were making their way towards the iron gate. Now that they were closer, Magnus saw that the statues looked like angels. The stone wall was covered in moss and fern, already breaking apart at some places. When they passed the gate, Magnus finally realized where they were and it sent a shiver down his spine. Was this a bad joke? Had Alec gone mad?

They walked down a small path, tombstones clustered on either side. Magnus looked at Alec, searching for any hint of what was going on, but he didn’t return the look. His blue eyes were cold and darker than they usually were. He wore an unreadable expression that started to creep Magnus out. Finally, they stopped in front of a marble tombstone, some strange symbols carved into the upper part of it. Magnus eyes squinted as he read what was written on the stone, then immediately went wide as he looked at Alec, whose expression still hadn’t changed. 

Maxwell Joseph Lightwood

Magnus tried to read the emotions ridden all over Alec’s face, but he couldn’t decide as to how he’d describe what he saw. Sorrow, regret, despair, sadness, bitterness.   
“He was only nine when he died,” Alec began. To Magnus surprise, his voice wasn’t wavering at all, maybe because Alec blocked all emotions out for the moment. “Cancer,” Alec continued, while Magnus was listening carefully and staring at his boyfriend.

“We knew he didn’t have much time left, but we didn’t know how long exactly. My family visited him a few times when he got into the hospital after he’d gotten worse. They asked me to come along but…” Alec paused, his eyebrows furrowed, his jaw clenched. “I told them I couldn’t. I couldn’t bring myself to come along. I couldn’t bear to see my brother so weak and damaged.” A single tear rolled down Alec’s cheek, dropping off his chin as he continued to speak. “The day he died, my heart broke. I cried for weeks…” Another tear escaped Alec’s eyes as he began to shake. “There is nothing I regret more in my life. I left him alone, because I was uncomfortable.” Magnus’ eyes started to well up as well. “Alexander, you can’t beat yourself up about this,” he said, as Alec shook his head. “I can’t change what happened, though I would do anything to…” Alec began, his voice starting to tremble. “But I can learn from my mistakes. And I won’t let you repeat them.”

Magnus took in a sharp breathe. Was Alec implying that his mother was going to die? As if he read his mind, Alec spoke again. “I’m sorry…I didn’t mean to…” He paused, unsure what to say next. “Your mother will be alright. I know she will, but…I just had to let you know…” Alec sighed turning away. “I’m so sorry, this was a bad idea,” he said, as he walked towards the gate again, his hands in his pockets.

To his surprise, Magnus grabbed his arm and turned him around. Golden-green eyes met blue ones as Magnus placed a kiss on Alec’s lips.   
Somehow, Magnus understood. This wasn’t just about his mother. Alec needed to tell him, he needed him to know. And Magnus was thankful for Alec’s honesty. He knew what this meant to him and Magnus was glad Alec shared his fears. He trusted Magnus completely and this was all that Magnus cared about at the moment.

As he pulled away, Magnus looked into Alec’s eyes. “Thank you for sharing this with me,” he said as Alec took in a shaky breathe and leaned into him.

“I love you so much Magnus.” “I love you too Alexander.”


	18. Help

Alec dreaded the thought of going back home, but he knew he’d have to return eventually. He was walking towards his car with Magnus, holding his hand.  
Alec thought about what would happen if he finally got back. His father would yell at him, his mother would be absolutely disappointed…he was not looking forward to it at all.

“I still can’t believe what my father said earlier,” Alec sighed as they sat in the car. “He’s worried, you can’t really blame him,” Magnus shrugged. “Yeah, but seriously, who does that? He’s just so…cold.” Alec squinted his eyes in disgust. “Well, he doesn’t really know the whole story,” Magnus replied, smiling faintly. 

Alec stared on the road as they drove, pondering his next move. There were a million scenarios going through his head. What on earth should he do? If he told his parents about Magnus, he might be able to see him more often and take care of him. Or, he could be disowned and thrown out, maybe they’d even send him to one of those horrible conversion camps. Alec didn’t put that beyond his father’s imagination. 

Alec missed the times before Magnus came into his life. But then again, he also couldn’t imagine life without Magnus anymore. Everything was seemed so complicated lately.

When they arrived at Magnus’ home, Alec dropped him off, promising to come back as soon as he could. He had a plan, but he didn’t want to get Magnus involved. He already had enough to deal with, and this was a battle that Alec would have to fight alone. For his entire way home, his heart was pounding out of his chest, he was sweating, but he knew, if he didn’t do this right now, he might never find the courage to. Better get it over with and deal with the consequences right away.

When Alec finally turned into his street, he could already see that his parents’ cars were there. He just hoped that Izzy and Jace would be home as well, he could at least use some support right now.   
Before he even got the chance to knock, Alec was surprised by his sister opening the door and pulling him into a tight hug. “Alec! Jace told me what happened, are you alright? How’s Magnus? I was so worried!” Alec couldn’t help but chuckle at his sister’s concern. “I’ll explain later Iz, where are mom and dad? I need to talk to them first…and it’d be nice if you and Jace were there as well,” he replied. Izzy gave him a knowing look and nodded, running up the stairs to get Jace.

As Alec walked into his home, he felt tense and almost out of place. In the kitchen, his mother and father were waiting for him.   
Robert looked as if he was ready to kill someone, his eyes were furious and his jaw clenched. Maryse looked like she usually did, but when Alec entered the room, her usually ice-cold expression softened as she walked over to him and hugged him tightly. That was something Alec certainly didn’t expect. His mother was never someone for any sort of loving gestures. “Alec, where were you? Why didn’t you call?” Alec looked at his mother in confusion. He never thought that she could even show concern. Just as Isabelle and Jace entered as well, Robert spoke. “Answer your mother,” he spat.

Alec took a deep breathe, his siblings standing behind him and the tone of his mother’s voice comforted him somehow. This was it. The last frontier. He knew he could do this.

Alec closed his eyes for a moment, images of his siblings and all the moments he shared with Magnus flickering before him. 

“I was with my boyfriend.” 

Silence. Maryse regained an unreadable expression. She was staring at her son. Robert didn’t even flinch, if anything, he tensed up even more.

“I already told you that his mom had an accident, and I couldn’t leave him.”

Alec could feel Jace’s hand on his back, Izzy’s in his own.

Maryse was still staring at her son, not giving away anything. To Alec, this already said enough. His parents didn’t accept him, they’d snap at any moment now. He took another deep breathe, bracing himself for what would come next. And that was when his father began to scream at him.

“I will not have a faggot live under my roof! Get out of my sight right now or I swear you will regret it! You should feel ashamed! I never want to see you again, you hear me?!” Alec gulped and closed his eyes. This wasn’t exactly surprising to him, but it still hurt. Having your own father throw you out? No child should ever experience something like this.

“You are a disgrace to this family.” Maryse’s voice had returned to her harsh, cold tone. It sent a shiver down Alec’s spine. When he opened his eyes however, Alec was shocked to see that his mother was not facing him but instead…his father.

“How dare you speak to your own son like that?! You are the one who should feel ashamed! Get out of here right now,” she continued, standing in front of her children, like a lioness protecting her cubs. Robert was looking at her in disbelief. He certainly wasn’t expecting this reaction either. When he finally regained his composure, he stormed off. “You’ll hear from my lawyer Maryse. If you want to keep this abomination, you can do that on your own,” he yelled as he left. Maryse however did not back down for a single moment. After Robert had left the house, smashing the front door behind him, she turned to face her children again and took a deep breathe.

“Mom I don’t…” Alec was interrupted by his mother raising her hand. “This was a long time coming Alec. It isn’t your fault. Now I will say that I’m disappointed that you didn’t trust me enough to tell me sooner. I take it you two knew of this?” she asked, looking at Jace and Izzy who avoided her gaze but nodded. Maryse sighed, shaking her head and softening her expression. “We’ll talk about this another time. Alec, I just want you to know that I love you no matter what. How is…” She looked at her son, raising her eyebrows. “Magnus. His name’s Magnus,” Alec replied quickly. “He’s…fine. Not good but fine…” Maryse nodded, seemingly understanding. “Is someone with him right now?” she asked as Alec shook his head. “He has no siblings and his father’s dead.” Maryse crossed her arms in front of her chest, furrowing her brows. “You were right. He shouldn’t be alone right now…” she looked to a window, off into the distance. “Invite him over. He can stay here for now if you promise you’ll make it to school again tomorrow.” Alec looked at his mother in disbelief. 

“Who are you and what have you done with our mom?” Izzy asked, half joking, half seriously. Maryse glared at her for a moment before she returned her look to Alec. 

“I trust you Alec. Go and pick him up. You two,” she said, pointing to Izzy and Jace, “go up to your rooms. It’s gotten late and you have school tomorrow.” Both siblings tried to argue back but Maryse wouldn’t have any of it. So she still was the same old mother. 

After they went upstairs, Alec quickly grabbed his keys and texted Magnus.

“I’m picking you up right now, you’ll stay over at my place”

“What? What happened?”

“I’ll explain later, pack your stuff. I’m on my way”

Alec quickly shut his phone and put on his jacket. Before he left however, he went up to his mother and hugged her tightly. “Thank you,” he whispered and kissed her cheek. When he left and closed the door behind him, he could’ve sworn that he saw his mother smile for the first time in what must’ve been years.


	19. Acceptance

The drive to Magnus’ place was a blur. Before he knew it, Alec was standing in front of his house and knocking enthusiastically. When Magnus opened, Alec immediately pulled him into a short and sweet kiss. “Okay, I’m completely lost. What happened?” Alec smiled at Magnus, grabbing one of the bags that were standing beside him and loading it into his trunk.

On their way back to his home, Alec explained what had happened. Even though he was somehow disappointed at his father’s reaction, he was more than happy that his mother didn’t feel any different about him.   
“I’m so proud of you,” Magnus said, placing a soft kiss on Alec’s cheek as they arrived at his place. They took out Magnus’ belongings and made their way inside where Maryse was waiting for them.

She looked at Magnus, scanning him intensely. “Magnus, correct?” she said in her usual cold voice. “Yes. It’s a pleasure to meet you Mrs. Lightwood,” he replied, extending his hand. By her looks, Maryse could probably break his hand if she wanted to, slowly Magnus understood why Alec was so afraid of coming out. When she shook his hand, both Alec and Magnus were however surprised by a slight smirk on her face. “Call me Maryse,” she said as she dropped her hand again. “I heard what happened to your mother. I’m really sorry, you’re welcome to stay as long as you need to.” Magnus could see the same concern in her eyes that he saw in Alec’s.

“You two should probably get to bed. Keep your clothes on…” Alec turned bright red, he never thought to hear those words from his mother. She gave him a knowing look and raised a single eyebrow as she turned around and sighed. “Good night.” Was the last thing she said before making her way back to her bedroom.

Magnus and Alec quickly carried their bags to Alec’s room and got ready for bed. As they laid down together with their legs tangled, Magnus’ head on Alec’s chest, they quickly drifted off to sleep.

Morning came way too quickly. Alec almost crushed his phone when his alarm went off, not wanting to leave his boyfriend yet. Magnus chuckled and placed a soft kiss on Alec’s neck. After they both took a quick shower, they made their way down to the kitchen where Maryse and Jace were already waiting. It was rare for their mother to be around for so long, but no one complained to have her around, at least not after what happened the previous evening.

They finished breakfast and Jace, Izzy and Alec took off to school. Magnus decided to stay home for another day, he didn’t want to risk a nervous breakdown in school but he hoped to feel up to it tomorrow. After they left, Magnus let out a sigh, already missing Alec.

“So,” Maryse began, startling Magnus as she sat down next to him. “You and I are going to have a little talk.” Magnus gulped. Maryse was eyeing him again with an unreadable expression. “How long has this been going on?” “Not for all too long…I moved here at the beginning of the school year and I stayed over one night after Alec and I studied together.” Maryse was raising an eyebrow and Magnus quickly corrected himself after he realized how this must’ve sound like to her. “Nothing happened really. He had a nightmare and I helped him calm down, in the morning we kissed.” This visibly relieved Maryse. “I see…so you haven’t…?” Magnus quickly shook his head. “I know that I’m Alec’s first boyfriend and I’m not pressuring him into anything.” Maryse nodded approvingly.   
“Are you two happy together?” Magnus smiled sheepishly, staring down at his hands. “I am. And I’d say Alec is as well. He’s very special.” Maryse nodded and let out a sigh.

“I’m going to be honest with you. I suspected that Alec was gay since he was about 13 years old. I must admit, I wasn’t around much the last years, but I still hoped that he’d come and talk to me eventually. Looking at you two…you seem very happy and that’s all I care about.” Magnus could’ve sworn there was a smile tugging at Maryse’s mouth, but she didn’t show it. Having the approval of her meant a lot to Magnus, it meant that he and Alec actually could have a legitimate chance together.   
Maryse cleared her throat and looked at Magnus again. “You’ll probably hear this from his siblings as well, but let me make this very clear: in this family, we take care of each other. As long as you make Alec happy and respect me and his siblings, you’re welcomed.” Magnus grinned widely at Maryse. She sighed and grabbed Magnus into an embrace that he gladly returned.

“But if you hurt him, we’ll make sure that you’ll regret it for the rest of your life,” she added, still holding Magnus, whose eyes suddenly were wide open, in her arms. When she pulled back, she actually showed a small smile and chuckled before getting up and leaving for work. Magnus sighed happily. If that’s the only requirement for being accepted by Maryse, he’d have no problem. He never planned on hurting Alec and as long as he was welcomed, he’d never let him go.


	20. Epilogue: Future

“This is going to be so much fun! We should’ve moved in together a long time ago!” Magnus happily exclaimed, jumping up and down in excitement. Alec just rolled his eyes and sat down his last suitcase. “You know, technically we’re not moving in together, we’re just sharing a dorm room.” “Whatever, I’m just glad that we finally have some space just for us. No interrupting parents or siblings, just the two of us,” Magnus said, putting an arm around Alec’s waist and kissing him.

Life has gone by so quick. One day, Magnus practically moves in with the Lightwoods, the next day it’s graduation and soon after, Alec and Magnus were off to college. It really was a dream come true, not only did they manage to get into the same college, but they also could share a room – though that probably wouldn’t help with the whole studying thing.

While Alec unpacked, Magnus was moving the two single beds next to each other. “Need a hand?” Alec snorted, as Magnus was clearly struggling. “Later darling, for now just help me move the bed…” Magnus said, winking at Alec who shook his head but smiled. “Get your mind out of the gutter you pervert.”   
After they arranged the beds and unpacked the essentials, Alec collapsed on their couch. “Had I known how exhausting moving was, I’d have hired someone to do it for me.” Magnus hummed in approval. “Don’t forget, we have a dinner date with our moms tomorrow. This room should at least look presentable,” Magnus said as he started taking off his makeup. Alec let his head fall back. “Oh please. That’s just an excuse for them to get drunk together, I don’t get why we always have to come along.”

About 3 months ago, Magnus’ mother was finally free to leave the hospital. Her condition had improved and she was eager to get back into life. When she met the Lightwood family, she immediately clicked with them. To everyone’s surprise, Maryse and her became good friends over their mutual hate for certain men. The two spent almost as much time together as Magnus and Alec did.

Alec and Magnus had been out and proud in public for months now, but it still felt like they were fresh in love. They’ve been inseparable, through the good times and the bad (though there wasn’t much of that). Life was brilliant, and this was just the beginning.

“Hey Mags?” Alec said, not moving his head. “Yes darling?” Magnus replied, still occupied with his makeup. “I love you.” Magnus smiled, those words still had that effect on him and Alec knew that perfectly well. “You always tell me that you love me in the most random situations.” Alec got up and wrapped his arms around Magnus’ waist from behind. “There is no bad time for telling you how much you mean to me,” Alec swooned as he kissed Magnus’ neck. Magnus turned around, smiling warmly down at Alec, their eyes meeting. “I love you too darling,” Magnus replied. 

They stared at each other for a moment. They did that a lot. Whenever things would get overwhelming, they’d just hug it out and forget the world around them for a while. This was their personal safe-zone.   
Alec pressed his lips on Magnus’ who sighed happily.

Life wasn’t always easy, but as long as they had each other, they’d overcome whatever it would throw at them. And they would never let each other go.


End file.
